![]() The county has also seen an increase in marijuana related land use complaints. Proponents of the industry would like to see recreational grows permitted in rural residential zones because those lands are generally available in smaller parcel sizes than forest and farmland.īut rural residents have raised concerns that having the cash-dominated businesses in their neighborhoods could contribute to crime and that heavy summer water demand for the crop could tax already overworked wells.Īccording to Lane County spokesperson Devon Ashbridge, the county has seen an estimated 20 percent increase in questions to land managers regarding marijuana since legalization. In Lane County, growing marijuana is allowed without additional land use permits on forest and agricultural land and with additional provisions in industrial and residential commercial zones. “If you’ve seen one county’s land use plan, you’ve seen just that - one plan,” Bovett says. Rob Bovett, legal counsel for the Association of Oregon Counties, says that because land use law in Oregon is implemented on a county-by-county basis, there’s little consistency for recreational growers. Entry into the statewide recreational marijuana production business requires an initial investment of at least $250,000 to set up a successful grow that meets OLCC and local compliance standards, he says. To be a large-scale professional producer “people need to know the actual expense,” Boyer says. He knows growers who didn’t get their licenses on time and lost out on valuable growth for their plants. “You need to look ahead and have your growing system ready,” Boyer says. He says it takes between two and six months to be assigned an OLCC inspector.īoyer says it’s important that growers meet permit requirements, including 8-foot high fences, security plans and surveillance systems, before inspectors come. Jason Boyer, an owner and administrator of Wild West Growers in Eugene, says producers often don’t realize how lengthy the licensing process can be. A major influx of applications is stretching OLCC’s ability to manage the program. OLCC documents show there are more producer licenses awaiting review or not yet assigned to an investigator than there are approved licenses. The remaining 118 are either in the process of being reviewed, not yet assigned to an investigator or lack local land use approval. According to OLCC documents, 93 of the 211 applications for marijuana production in Lane County have been approved. Lane County has the third-most producer applications, at 211. ![]() Jackson and Josephine counties have the highest totals because the climate in southern Oregon is ideal for marijuana cultivation and because there is a history of growing in the area. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) is in charge of the recreational marijuana permitting program. ![]() Jackson, Josephine, Lane and Clackamas counties account for nearly 60 percent of the recreational grow applications in the state. A Eugene attorney seeking to sell marijuana in Creswell is seeking to challenge that city’s decisions (see “Pot Petition,” EW July 27). Of the 36 counties in Oregon, 16 have decided to not allow marijuana production. Statewide, 77 cities have prohibited recreational marijuana, including Coburg, Creswell and Junction City in Lane County. Local control gives communities the power to shape the growing industry, but also places a burden on the agencies that manage land and water use decisions and deal with disputes between neighbors. Local governments can restrict where and how marijuana can be grown and sold, or choose to opt out of the recreational weed market completely. When Oregon legalized recreational marijuana in 2015, the state Legislature gave counties and cities the responsibility of setting standards for the industry.
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